


Stubborn Stains

by on_the_wing



Series: Virusverse [3]
Category: Starfighter (Comic), Starfighter Eclipse
Genre: Awkward Dates, Awkward Flirting, M/M, get a room already, identity disturbance, inappropriate hallway makeouts
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-21
Updated: 2019-03-24
Packaged: 2019-11-02 00:37:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,567
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17877836
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/on_the_wing/pseuds/on_the_wing
Summary: Ethos’ virus-induced reign of terror—well, more like affable hippie space cult—is over. But how do you pick up the pieces when you're not even sure which ones are yours?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A sequel to Loose Lips Sink Ships.

It was nearly 13:00 when Ethos finally dragged his sorry carcass into the mess hall, simultaneously worried that Athos might have given up & left and guiltily wishing that he could just collapse alone for a moment.  
  
A vigorously waving arm caught his eye, and a cheery smile beamed out; he felt a sudden flush of heat spread through his body. Athos might look sort of like Deimos, at least from a distance, but he couldn't be more unlike that subtle, slippery, self-contained fighter. He radiated warmth and exuberance like a small sun. _How did he ever manage to do those stealth missions during the infection?_  
  
Ethos waved back before picking up a tray, shoving something or other onto it, and trudging over. The mess hall on the Kepler was pretty small, but it still felt like a mile-long trek to Athos’ table by the far wall.  
  
“Hi! How’d the talk go?”  
  
“It could’ve been worse, I guess. I didn’t actually get stabbed. But um…could I sit next to the wall? I just can’t deal with having my back to everyone right now.”  
  
“Oh sure, of course! Sorry, I should’ve thought!” Athos jumped up.  
  
“No, it makes sense that you’d be on that side! Or actually, we could both be on that side if you want?” It would look odd, but the thought of sitting next to Athos was kind of nice. Tilting their heads and leaning in close to talk, feeling their thighs press together… _okay stop that_.  
  
“It’s all right, I was only sitting on that side because I was watching for you.” Athos vaulted alarmingly over the long table in a move which would have been smooth if he hadn’t kicked his tray onto the floor with a crash, sending silverware skittering across the tiles. “Oh god I’m sorry, that was dumb.”  
  
Everyone was staring at them, so Ethos ducked to the floor and groped under the nearest table for fallen cutlery, shoving it onto his own tray.  
  
“Oh no, let me get that!” Athos dropped to his knees and reached between a navigator’s feet for his bowl. “Excuse me, sorry!”  
  
Ethos turned to hand him the knife and spoon, and their hands brushed.  
  
“Thanks!” said Athos, averting his eyes.  
  
“We’ve got to stop meeting like this.” The words just fell out of his mouth.  
  
Athos looked confused for a moment, then laughed nervously. He scrambled back to his feet and deposited his tray on their table, then held out his hand.  
  
Since Ethos’ tray was full of heavy things like soup and juice ~~and the knowledge that he had almost killed every person on the ship~~ , he needed both hands to hold it. “Oh, I, uh—” He impulsively shoved the tray into Athos’ hands, then stood up on his own. They somehow managed to get seated without further incident.  
  
“So um, anyway, sorry I’m so late.” Ethos shoved a spoonful of soup in his mouth. It was basically the same stuff they gave you in med bay, but somehow it was really delicious. Seasoned by newfound liberty. The soup of freedom. “It just…you know, took a long time. The talk.”  
  
Athos leaned forward. “How did it go—oh wait, I already asked you that.”  
  
He took a deep breath. “I don’t have the energy to go over it all right now, but I think Praxis is madder at me than Deimos is. Actually I’m not even sure how Deimos feels. He didn’t say anything. He just stared at me.”  
  
“Isn’t that what he always does?”  
  
Ethos stopped, confused, and then remembered that most of Deimos’ communication was nonverbal. “It was different though. You know, he has a lot of different expressions and stuff even if he’s not talking.”  
  
“Yeah, I guess.”  
  
“He just kind of…shut off.”  
  
“So…” Athos twirled his spoon in his empty bowl. “What did you say to him? The thing that got him to switch to your side, I mean. If you want to tell me,” he added quickly.  
  
Ethos dropped his eyes and took longer chewing his bite of roll than was absolutely necessary. “I um…I told him that the commanders were planning on separating him and Praxis when we got back. Because they were too close and it was a distraction.”  
  
“Oh. Wow.”  
  
“Yeah.” He winced.  
  
“That was fiendishly clever of you. Evil you, I mean.”  
  
“I know, right? Evil me was so smart. And suave. I feel like a total dork without him. I’m almost pissed at him for doing all this stuff and getting me into trouble and then leaving. I mean, not that I want him around, it’s good that he’s gone. And of course I’m still responsible for the things he did—we did. I did. But I got used to having these…powers and now I feel stupider and more pathetic than I did before.”  
  
“You are not stupid or pathetic, and you never were!” Athos frowned, and Ethos remembered his surprisingly intimidating speech on the bridge.  
  
“Yeah, I know technically I can’t be that bad, or I wouldn’t have passed the navigator exam and gotten flight clearance. But it’s hard when you’re with all the others and everyone’s always shoving to be the best. We’re not supposed to talk about our scores and stuff but I always feel like I’m probably at the bottom.”  
  
“I bet most navigators feel that way. They probably _want_ you to feel that way, so you’ll try harder.”  
  
“Maybe. I guess.”  
  
“That actually sounds a lot like fighters. I’m surprised—I always thought navis were nice to each other.”  
  
“You have _met_ Phobos, right?”  
  
“Hahaha. Except him, I guess. He’s nice to Porthos though.”  
  
“Boyfriends don’t count. He’s not even nice to his own fighter.” Athos’ face closed like an old-fashioned paper book, and Ethos inwardly kicked himself. Frequently mentioning your last crush was probably not a good way to begin a relationship. “But yeah, I guess we are like fighters, it’s just that we use different weapons.”  
  
“Ooh, what kind? Is there a secret navigator fight club where you use, like, katanas and stuff? Or something high-tech? Or something really weird and postmodern, like bananas and paper airplanes?”  
  
Ethos opened his mouth to protest that they didn’t have literal, _physical_ fights, but what came out was, “If I told you, I’d have to kill you. With a paper airplane.”  
  
“Haha, good luck with that.”  
  
“See? That’s why I don’t talk about it. It would take all afternoon and then they’d lock me up again.” It was like someone else was talking through him. But someone familiar, not a stranger.  
  
“How would you even kill me with a paper airplane? A thousand paper cuts? Paper missiles?”  
  
“You have to come up with a new way of killing someone with it. That’s how you get into the fight club. The navi exams are just a formality.”  
  
“Ooh, what was the way you invented?”  
  
“I can’t tell you, I can only _show_ you.” He leaned in closer, and Athos drifted toward him, lips slightly parted. It was kind of stupid though, because the table was too wide to let them kiss unless they got up and bent forward. He wanted to do it anyway.  
  
“My _god_ Athos, don’t you have anything better to do than play footsie with _him_? You’d think _you_ were the brainwashed sex slave.”  
  
Athos whirled around, whipping his legs over the bench to plant his feet on the floor. “Phobos, please, just leave us alone.” He looked up at Porthos, who crossed his arms and gazed down at him impassively.  
  
“I can’t believe he’s allowed out in public,” Phobos drawled. “Shouldn’t he be in the brig?”  
  
“Or in quarantine,” Porthos added. “You should stay back, Phobos, he might still be contagious. From all the STDs he picked up, if nothing else.”  
  
A scarlet heat surged up through him and his head threatened to float away like a fugitive balloon, but a tiny part of Ethos’ brain registered that neither Phobos nor Porthos were actually looking at him. They were staring down at Athos instead, almost as if their eyes were tethered to his face. Athos’ shoulders tensed, and he drew in a deep breath.  
  
Ethos’ unruly mouth grabbed the bit again. “Still pining for me, boys? I’m sorry—our time together was very special, but I’m not tossing my dick into just anything anymore.”  
  
Phobos gasped. “FUCK you, Ethos. If you think you can still run this place, you are dead wrong.”  
  
“I’m not running anything, I’m just sitting here having lunch. Now go play.” He batted a hand in their general direction.  
  
“Ugh! You’re not worth the effort! Come on, Porthos.”

Porthos obediently turned to go, but he glanced back over his shoulder with a fleeting grin. _That boy is dee tee eff_ , observed Ethos' mutinous mouth, which had apparently now taken up residence inside his brain. _I wonder what it would be like with him and Athos together—OH MY GOD SHUT UP WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU. They’d probably get competitive—SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP_.  
  
Athos turned back to face him, his eyes wide. “Wow, that was amazing. I didn’t know you could still do that!”  
  
Ethos buried his hands in his face. “Neither did I. Well, except that it happened with Hayden too. That’s how I got such a good deal.”  
  
“Happened? Isn’t it something you did?”  
  
“Yeah, but…I wasn’t planning it. I didn’t even feel like it was me doing it.”  
  
“Weird. Were you like, possessed by the ghost of evil Ethos?”  
  
“Ugh, I hope not.”  
  
“I wonder if there are ghosts for parts of people? Not phantom limbs, but actual ghosts. Like, you’re still alive, but part of you died, and then it’s hanging around trying to talk to you? ”  
  
_I’m not dead_ , the voice said helpfully. _YES YOU ARE, SHUT UP_. “Like if you lose a foot, there’s a foot ghost hanging around and kicking you to get your attention?”  
  
“Haha that would be funny. Or really horrible. Or both. Like, you’re trying to sleep and it, like, sticks its clammy ghost toes in your mouth and wiggles them. Or like, Praxis’ eye. Is its ghost floating around the ship six feet from the floor looking at everything?”  
  
“Athos, I’m _eating_.”  
  
“Sorry.”  
  
Ethos deliberately concentrated on his soup for a minute, but then relented. “There’s a folk tale about a guy who sells the soul of his little toe to the devil. He thinks, what do I even use that toe for? I won’t miss it. So eventually he dies and goes to heaven, but the soul of his toe goes to hell and he can feel everything that’s happening to it there. So he’s constantly in torment even though he’s in this really nice place and everyone wants to help him.”  
  
“Whoa. That’s deep.”  
  
“Yeah. You can’t decide to do one thing and like, secretly be doing the opposite at the same time. It’ll just…ruin you.”  
  
“Oh, I thought it was about how there are parts of you that you don’t really notice but they're actually important. Or about making one little wrong decision and having it follow you around forever.”  
  
“Oh. Yeah, those fit too.” _What wrong decision did I make, though? All I did was turn the power on._  
  
The new voice said, _Don’t lie to yourself, you know what you did to Deimos_.  
  
_I know. I’m horrible._  
  
_That wasn’t even my idea, kiddo—that was all you._  
  
_STOP IT._  
  
_And stop calling me new, you know I’ve been around for a long time. Longer than you think._  
  
_I refuse to listen to you. You don’t exist anymore._  
  
_Then why are you talking to me?_  
  
“Are you okay?” Athos looked concerned. And hot. Super hot. At least all the different parts of him could agree on that. _Why is he so frickin hot and why didn’t I notice before. I guess I assumed he wasn’t interested, so I didn’t even think about it? Or maybe I was just too focused on Deimos._  
  
“Yeah, sorry, I’m fine. I was just thinking…I can’t even tell my parents about the last few months. What would I say?”  
  
“Mom, Dad, I became a sexy zombie dictator and ruled over the ship with an iron fist until some dashing rebels overthrew me?”  
  
Ethos winced. “Literally overthrew.” He had a sudden vivid memory of Athos tackling him to the floor, feeling the entire length of his body pressing down on him, pinning him down _oh god do not get a boner in the mess hall jesus fucking christ. Wait, he called me sexy? He called me sexy!_  
  
He risked a peek at Athos, who was studiously tracing his spoon around the inside of his bowl. “Uh, so, yeah, um hahaha. That’s what you should tell them. What parent wouldn’t be proud of that?”  
  
Ethos could just _feel_ that other self, like a ghost leaning jauntily over his shoulder. _He’s embarrassed because he called you sexy! You should tease him. We could have so much fun with him_. “I think they might be disappointed in me. You know, because I didn’t run sexy zombie elections and institute a sexy zombie democracy.”  
  
Athos brightened. “Sexy Zombie Democracy would be a rad band name.” He thought for a moment. “No, actually it probably wouldn’t.”  
  
“Too many syllables,” Ethos agreed. _Quiet down there omg. Maybe if I stop looking at his shoulders and his smooth hair and beautiful eyes and perfect lips and and the way that jacket fits him and wow I can’t believe he actually kissed me and oh god this is not helping. I need to get out of here but I can’t get up yet._  
  
_You definitely need to get out of here_ , his evil self agreed. _With him. Some place where you can make a lot of noise and not get thrown in the brig._  
  
_I’m NOT LISTENING TO YOU. Although I’m not sure I disagree in this case._  
  
“Can you imagine zombie elections though?" Athos continued. "Zombie election campaigns? They’d be promising more brains for everyone, except they can’t really talk, so none of the other zombies would understand them, so it would just be about who groaned loudest.”  
  
_Gosh, I wonder who_ would _groan loudest._  
  
_Look, I had enough trouble with horny thoughts before you came along. I don’t need extra commentary and frankly, it’s making me less likely to get laid at this point because I can’t fucking focus on him. So if you actually want to have sex I suggest you shut the hell up._  
  
_You could let me take over—_  
  
_NO._  
  
_Aww._  
  
Ethos cleared his throat. “Maybe they’d toss brains into the crowd and see who got more zombies following them.”  
  
“Ooh, good idea! Wouldn’t that depend on how many brains each one had though?”  
  
“Isn’t that how human elections work?”  
  
“Haha yeah, I guess.”  
  
After a moment, Ethos glanced up from his soup to find Athos looking at him with a giddy smile. “What?”  
  
“Nothing. I’m just glad you’re up and about and having lunch with me.”  
  
“This is awful, but I’m actually really tired. All I want to do is go back to bed.”  
  
“Aww, I understand. You’ve been stuck in bed for so long, you’re probably really weak.”  
  
Ethos drew himself up. “I am not _weak_ , I’ve just been having stressful conversations all day. Present company excepted of course.”  
  
“Are you sure? I mean you were like, tied to a bed for a long time.” Ethos eyed him, and Athos blushed and dropped his eyes. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to be obnoxious. I was just going to say we could work out together if you want to.”  
  
_Hmm. Would that be hot, sweet, or just embarrassing because I’m a pathetic slug and he probably runs fifteen miles a day and lifts my entire weight with his pinky? Is he trying to say I’m out of shape?_ “I, uh…I don’t know if we do the same exercises as you guys.”  
  
“Why, what do you do?”  
  
“Uh…well we’re technically supposed to do like, some kind of cardio and stretching every morning, but we kind of end up skipping that sometimes when we’re really busy. Which is…a lot of the time. Sometimes Keeler has us do yoga if we’re all snapping at each other.”  
  
“Whoa. So you don’t have PT at all? I’m jealous.”  
  
“We have other stuff you probably wouldn’t want to do. Like reports, and data cleaning, and ship maintenance—”  
  
“Aww, I like ship maintenance! Porthos doesn’t let me help that often, he says I get in the way. But I don’t really! I’m good at it.”  
  
“Wow, you really like it? I don’t. I mean I know it’s something you have to do, but it stresses me out. I feel like I’m rummaging around in Tibby’s organs and I’ll accidentally kill her or something.”  
  
“Tibby...oh, the Tiberius! That’s so cute! Do they all have nicknames?”  
  
“Some of them. Depends on how the navigators feel about them. Nicknames, I mean, not ships. Abel’s very formal, he just calls his the Reliant. But the Equinox is Queenie—of course Phobos’ ship has to be the queen, hahaha. The Taurus is Tara, the Meridian is Mary, the Apollo is Polly, and the Essex was Susie for some reason, I never found out why. I guess to keep people from calling it Sexy.”  
  
“I can’t believe I have to ask you this, but…does Porthos call the Pharaon anything?”  
  
“Pharah, of course! But he doesn’t talk about her much.”  
  
“He doesn’t talk about _much_ much,” Athos sighed.  
  
“Haha, he sounds like Praxis. It took so long to get him talking. I was seriously considering tying him to the ladder—not like _that,_ ohmygod—so he couldn’t run away whenever I said hello to him.”  
  
Athos looked thoughtful. “So if _I_ run away, will you chase me and tie _me_ down?”  
  
Ethos gaped, then drew himself up with a smile. “You’d have to try it and see—hey, come back here!”    
  
Several navigators clucked in disapproval as he scrambled over the table and bolted out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The idea of using Tibby as a nickname for the Tiberius comes from GoodyearTheShippyCat's incomparable Scottish au, The Thistle and the Rose.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ethos' evil self would like to inform you that Ethos is a fucking mess.

Ethos charged through the hallway, following the taunting thump of running feet and the occasional flashes of arm or leg. Bystanders were no longer looming turrets ready to fire their bullets of judgment; now they were just slow-moving obstacles to dodge around.  
  
Suddenly the footfalls stopped. There was no hiding place in the stretch of hallway ahead, so Athos must have ducked aside and waited until Ethos passed him. He whirled and stalked back, scanning the corridor.  
  
Athos peeked out of a nook, his face lit up with unholy glee. Ethos lunged and tackled him, slamming them both against the wall to slither struggling and kicking to the floor. “You _let_ me catch you,” he accused, panting.  
  
“Hahaha maybe—I was—impatient.”      
  
“What are we even—trying—to do here?” He batted at a stray elbow with his forearm.  
  
“You’re trying to capture me and I’m—oof—trying to sneakily capture you back.”  
  
“Oh! All right then.” Ethos grabbed his hands and rolled over, pulling Athos on top of him. “I caught you! I win!”  
  
“That’s not how it’s supposed to go.” Athos pinned his hands to the floor, just as he’d hoped. “I’m on top, so _I_ caught _you_.”  
  
“That’s what _you_ think.” Ethos eyed his opponent, trying to determine if he was within kissing distance. He could probably do it, but he’d have to lunge and that would be undignified. He settled for parting his lips slightly and willing Athos to do his bidding.  
  
Athos swallowed, and drifted lower. Yes! Mind control powers still operational! Even sans virus!  
  
_I dunno dude, are you_ sure _you’re sans virus? Mind control sounds kind of virus-y. Just saying._  
  
_Remember how if you don’t shut up, we don’t get laid?_  
  
_If you don’t grow some_ balls _we don’t get laid._ Evil self finally flounced back into his subconscious and oops no it didn’t, it just sneaked into his pelvis and pushed it up so aggressively that Athos let out a quiet gasp.  
  
They stared at each other for a mortified moment, then burst out laughing.  
  
“So.” Ethos decided to run with it. “Are you going to kiss me? Or is this one of those mmh—”  
  
Athos’ mouth pressed down on his with firm and luxurious purpose—once, then again, and again. He drew back a little, teasing with brief, light kisses, and Ethos strained upward to meet him, letting out a desperate whine. _So much for dignity._  
  
Athos hummed back sympathetically and released his hands one by one, resting on his elbows and stroking Ethos’ face with careful fingers. _He is too nice. I don’t deserve him._  
  
Ethos grabbed the back of his head and pulled him down closer, but his hands couldn’t decide where to go next—they wanted to touch everything at once. Soft silky hair, solid shoulders and arms, the angular buried wings of the scapulae, the concave channel of the spine curving downward to the lower back, down even lower oh god maybe he shouldn’t be touching that yet, _pace yourself,_ but there it was, rounded and resilient under his intoxicated fingers, and Athos moaned into his mouth and pushed back so he must be fine with it. He clutched and kneaded and rocked his hips and it was getting simultaneously very uncomfortable and too good but he didn’t care, he wanted to yank their pants down right there in the hallway and thrust up until—  
  
He shoved Athos off abruptly, scrambling back to lean against the wall and fighting for breath.  
  
“Ohmygod are you okay? What’s wrong? Did I do something awful? Did I use too much tongue? Do you have traumatic memories? Should I not have been on top? Should—”  
  
Ethos finally managed to part the flood of frenzied verbiage. “No, no, it’s okay, I’m sorry. It’s not you. I just um—I—I just really have to go to the bathroom!”  
  
“Oh, okay haha. I think there’s one down the hall back the way we came.” Athos leaped to his feet and offered Ethos a hand up. His hand felt so strong and smooth and good and Ethos just wanted to pick it up and set his lips on the palm and slowly taste every finger one by one and _god this is not helping, start walking now_.  
  
_Seriously?_ evil self complained as they set off. _I’m a full bladder? That’s the lamest excuse I’ve ever heard._  
   
_Look, I just needed to think of something, okay? I’m no good at coming up with lies on the spot._  
  
_**I** am. But then again if **I** were in charge we wouldn’t have to lie, would we? We’d either be getting it on in public like a boss, or going back to his room to get it on in more elaborate ways, also like a boss. But noooo, you had to get angsty and lie to him instead, which is pretty interesting considering that you’re supposed to be the good one and I’m supposed to be the “evil” one, not that I understand what’s evil about getting laid, I mean it’s not like you’re going to get him pregnant and realistically speaking neither of you have any known STDs or they wouldn’t have let you on board—_  
  
_SHUT UP. I managed to infect everyone just fine anyway, didn’t I?_  
  
_Jesus fucking christ how stupid can you be? You do understand why that happened, right?_  
  
They reached the bathroom and Ethos set his hand on the access pad. “I’ll be out in a minute,” he said unnecessarily. Athos opened his mouth and Ethos quickly added, “Don’t come in with me.”  
  
“Of course not!” As Ethos went through the door he could hear Athos’ muttered internal monologue. “Is that really so weird though? Do they not do that on Earth? Maybe he just needs a minute alo—omigod I’m thinking out loud again—”  
   
_Wow, that guy is a total dork_ , evil self observed. _It’s a good thing he has us._  
  
_But it’s so cute when he does things like that!_ Ethos decided he might as well use the bathroom while he was in there, just so his lie didn’t ironically come true at some inopportune moment. If he could just manage to persuade his dick to shift gears. _And come on, look at_ us _._  
  
_You mean look at_ you.  
  
_And he’s really nice. Look how nice he’s been!_  
  
_He wants to fuck us, of course he’s being nice._  
  
_But…wouldn’t someone only fuck us to_ be _nice?_  
  
_I can’t believe you lived to be this old and you’re still this stupid. We may not be the flavor of the week but we’re hot stuff. Even Deimos wants us and he’s only into 6-foot-tall slabs of beefcake._  
  
They shared a brief moment of bafflement at Deimos’ bad taste. _Sorry Praxis, sorry Cain_ , Ethos added.  
  
_They do have nice butts though_ , mused evil self. _And Praxis was really fun to play with_ —  
  
_Okay that’s enough. God. How are we ever going to be able to work together after that?_  
  
_You could let me—_  
  
_NO._  
  
_Why not? I get along with him fine. He’s pretty easy to deal with if you’re just firm and clear about what you want._  
  
_Mind control is not “getting along” with someone. Neither is telling them what to do. I’m not going to let you manipulate me into—_  
  
_What have I done to make you distrust me like that?_  
  
_Gosh I don’t know, taken over my brain and tried to kill everyone?_  
  
_That wasn’t me._  
  
_Please. Who was it then?_  
  
_Uh…remember how there was that alien virus?_  
  
_You ARE the virus._  
  
_I most certainly am not!_  
  
_Ugh, I’m so sick of your lies! Shut up now or I’ll….I’ll tell Athos we have a prolapsed rectum._  
  
Shocked silence.  
  
_Yeah, I didn’t think so_. Ethos strode toward the door in triumph, then remembered he needed to wash his hands and scuttled back.

  
  
***

  
Athos was gone when he emerged from the bathroom. Ethos blinked in confusion. Not that he was obligated to hang around waiting for Ethos for the third or fourth time that day, it’s just that he did it those other times, so his sudden absence was surprising. _Is he losing patience with me? Did he think I was trying to get away from him?_ Ethos tentatively ventured out to the nearest corner, and jumped when Athos suddenly stepped out.  
  
“Hi! Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you. I was just uh, waiting over here.”  
  
“Oh, okay.” Ethos started walking, then stopped. “I just realized I don’t know where we’re going.”  
  
“Oh yeah, haha. I guess we were just kind of running around like maniacs. So um…where do you want to go?” He glanced around furtively. “My vote is for _not_ the hallway.”  
  
_Shit shit shit I can tell he wants to go back to his room and so do I, but what am I going to do when I get there? I can’t even tell what’s me anymore. I should go back to medbay. But I really really want to go back to his room and do unspeakable things—but that’s exactly WHY I should go back to medbay._ “I should go through my email and see if I have any orders from Keeler, and get updated on what’s been happening at work.”  
  
“Oh, okay.” Athos’ face suddenly went politely neutral, which was hilarious because it was so far from his normal expression. Expressions. He had a very expressive face. Ethos suddenly wanted to conduct scientific experiments on him, to see how many expressions he could produce and what it would it take to produce them. For science.  
  
“I really don’t want to do it in the lab though,” he qualified. “Too many people, you know.”  
  
Athos perked up again. “Oh yeah, totally. Like the mess hall but worse. Do you um, uh…do you want to come back to my room and do it?" He smacked his own face. "Check your email I mean, ohmigod. You know. I wasn’t like—you know. Trying to lure you back in there for nefarious purposes.”  
  
“Are you sure? I mean, what if I go there expecting to be nefariously lured and then I’m just sitting there reading emails and no, like, vat of boiling oil or pit of snakes ever shows up?”  
  
From the frozen face and eyes lost in frantic calculation, Ethos could tell Athos was trying to figure out if these specific items were a requirement for dating him, as if he were a twisted version of a cheerleader who only dates guys with cars. “Don’t worry. I know you’re a superhero, not a supervillain.” He took Athos’ hand, which was absently patting his own torso as if trying to find a pocket, and started off down the hall.  
  
“It’s the other way,” Athos whispered discreetly, tugging back.  
  
“Ohhh ok. Of course.” They reversed course.  
  
“Now I want to design our superhero outfits,” Athos mused. “What would our powers be?”  
  
“Oh wow, I get to be a superhero too?”  
  
“Yeah! You’re a reformed villain. They’re the best kind. They’re the smartest and the toughest and the hottest and they have all the best lines.”  
  
It was Ethos’ turn to blush. “Wow, that’s uh—very flattering. I hope I can live up to all that.”  
  
“You’re already like that.” Athos squeezed his hand.  
  
_Has he_ met _me?_ The thought flitted into his head, but he decided to let it flit right out again. It was too nice basking in the sunshine of approval to bother with swatting flies.  
  
They were just getting close to the dorms when they heard voices ahead. Athos hissed and suddenly yanked him around a corner, flattening himself against the wall and shoving Ethos behind him.  
  
“What—”  
  
Athos whirled and shushed him, then mouthed _sorry_.  
  
Baffled, Ethos leaned back against the wall and listened as the voices went by. The first one wasn’t anyone he recognized, and the second was…Encke. He suddenly remembered kneeling facing him in the center of the party, flirting worse than drunk Phobos, plastering himself all over Encke’s rocklike body, basically forcing Encke to kiss him. His lips, unlike his body, were not at all stony. _I’m going to have so many of these weird moments,_ he told himself. _I have to get used to it._  
  
After the voices faded, Athos relaxed. “Sorry about that. I’m uh, sorta on the run.”  
  
“A wanted man! I can just see the posters…”  
  
“What is it with you guys and posters?” Athos blurted out.  
  
“They’re fun, okay? Why be a dictator if you can’t make propaganda posters?”  
  
“Ohhh. So you just made them because they were fun? I always wondered about that, because um, you guys’s ideas were totally crazy so there was no way anyone would get converted by them unless they were infected.”  
  
“They were NOT crazy—well, except for the crazy parts. Anyway, why are you on the run?”  
  
Athos looked furtive. “I…kinda clutched my stomach in PT and told Encke I needed to go to medbay. I didn’t say I was sick but I let him think it. And then Tawa texted me while you were in the bathroom and said Artemis told Encke he saw us running around.”  
  
“Wow, that was so nice of you! But you shouldn’t become a criminal for my sake.”  
  
“Well um, I just wanted to. It’s kind of a special day, you know?”  
  
Ethos smiled and leaned in, taking him by the shoulders. “I guess I’ll just have to make it worth your while.”  
  
“It’s already totally worth it—mmmh! I mean not gonna argue though mmmmh if you wanna mmh—yeah.” Athos gave up on talking and pulled him closer. His hands were warm and friendly explorers, although just like historical explorers they were a little greedy. Ethos was fine with that, though. Athos could have whatever he wanted.  
  
They went slower this time, deliberate and sensuous, keeping their bodies still. It was even harder than deciphering encrypted Colteron transmissions.  
  
“I just want you to know,” Ethos breathed in between kisses. “—that whatever nefariousness you might be planning—has my full support. Mmmh.”  
  
“Oh wow. Mmh. Um. It was more of a hope than a plan.”  
  
“You should—aahl—always have a planmmh.”  
  
Athos pulled back a little, breathing hard. “I—”  
  
Ethos stroked his cheek. “Yes?”  
  
He leaned into the touch, eyes half-closed. “I forgot already. That’s really distracting.”  
  
“Sorry, should I stop?”  
  
“No, I like it.” Athos smiled, and his eyelids drifted further down as Ethos’ fingers traced the line of his jaw. The palm brushed the corner of his mouth, and Athos inhaled sharply, as if startled from sleep. “Oh, I remembered.”  
  
“Mmh hmm?” Ethos decided to investigate the curving, sculpted channel behind his ear, first with a finger, next with his tongue.  
  
“Oh, I—that’s—um. Yeah. So I was just wondering um, how strong is your resolution to check your email?”  
  
“Pretty strong. But I don’t think it should take that long.”  
  
“Oh!” Athos gripped his arms as if for balance. “Okay. So. Do you want to go now, then?”  
  
“That sounds good,” Ethos whispered, and forced himself to step back, because both parts of him agreed that less now means more later.


End file.
